8bitdo Ultimate 2

It seems that opinions are divided on the following statement, but it's not easy for a third party to enter the market and produce a controller that will become a favourite among a very specific audience. {Valve} found this out the hard way. On specific console platforms, Microsoft, Sony, and even Nintendo make pretty good controllers themselves, and on PC, the offerings from the three above also work smoothly.

But {8bitdo} figured out long ago how to appeal to this target group through a combination of nostalgic design and innovative functionality, which means that they actually have a fairly loyal following, and possibly rightly so.

Take the {Ultimate 2}, a controller that will in all likelihood be replaced by an {Ultimate 3} before too long, and which you can therefore find for around £48. The design is deliberately simple, but broad compatibility and, in particular, the fact that a stylish charging dock is included has ensured that many people prefer it on PC, and to a lesser extent on {Switch}, too.

So why choose {8bitdo} over a DualSense, an {Xbox Series} controller or even something more competitive from {Scuf}? Admittedly, the layout is familiar, but it's actually equipped with TMR (tunnelling magnetoresistance) on the analogue sticks, which, believe it or not, are even more durable and reliable than hall effect, even though they are not measurably more accurate than other technologies. There are two extra buttons squeezed in between R1/R2 and L1/L2, which can be mapped directly via a dedicated app or programme, and overall it weighs 246 grams, which means it fits perfectly in larger hands that want a little grip in their controllers.

The point is that this is a pretty serious piece of kit that combines performance-oriented specifications with solid design. And then there's the dock. First and foremost, it's just brilliantly designed and looks really nice as it seamlessly blends the lines between the dock and the controller when it's charging, but it also works flawlessly. And yes, it supports both Bluetooth, for example on {Android}, and 2.4GHz via a rather striking and downright beautiful dongle on, for example, a PC.

Note that I am not mentioning the console platforms specifically here, and there is a good reason for that. Yes, you can get a specific {Switch} variant via {8bitdo}'s website (the dongle is missing), and this also works for {Switch 2}, but no matter which Nintendo console you have, it cannot wake the console from {Sleep Mode} like a pair of {Joy-Cons} or a {Pro} controller can. PlayStation 5 and {Xbox Series} are not supported at all.

On PC, you can choose from virtually every controller on the market, and that in itself makes it harder to recommend the {Ultimate 2}. It's not that anything is missing, and for this price it's hard to argue against an {Xbox Series} controller, but there are so many rock-solid players on the market that can easily top functionality and even design.

It's the charm and the surprisingly solid specifications, such as the TMR analogue sticks, that really work for {8bitdo}, but it would be obvious to further integrate into the {Switch 2} ecosystem with improved integration with an undeniable 3, so that their own {Pro} controller gets a real competitor. Until now, however, this one is nice, functional, and relatively inexpensive considering that the dock is included, and that's enough to get a recommendation from us.